Today we have an average attendance of 2

Handball has become a major sport in France. Since the bronze medal of the "Barjots" at the Barcelona Games in 1992, the France team has accumulated success: three titles of champions of the world (the last this year) and a gold medal at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. Jackson Richardson to Nikola Karabatic, passing through iconic coaches as Daniel Costantini, the figures in the sport of yard were to emerge on the media scene. Clubs are a little withdrawal, but also developed under the rule of the new National League of handball (NHL) and the best of them, the Montpellier Agglomération Handball (MAHB).

Ten times champion of France over the past twelve seasons, the club created from scratch in 1982 by three lovers, Bernard Eugster, Jean-Paul Lacombe, former President died in 1997, and Robert Molines, current President, quickly crossed the steps leading to the elite. Its leaders now want to go further.

"We were in the local multi-sports club, the ASBAM." "We have split, boarded the departmental level in national 3, and then received the support of Louis Nicollin(l'hommed'affairesspécialistedelederamassagedelesdedéchets,àlatêtedeledeclubdefootballdeMontpellier,NDLR) between 1987 and 1989, and that of Georges Frêche (former Mayor, President of the agglomeration, Editor's note) in 1990", says Robert Molines. To climb to a new level, the club was able to return to Germany Nikola Karabatic, regarded as the best player of the world. A performance at the time when French professional sport clubs regularly lose their best features. "We have been helped by the fact that Nikola wanted to find his family and playing with us with his brother", says the President of the MAHB. "But he had to buy out his contract at the club in Kiel.".A bet, to the extent where Germany, handball is a true business and then the player must still three-year contract. Montpellier also wants to hire Slovenian teammate Vid Kavticnik.

Complete the new arena

For the leaders of the MAHB, the opportunity is beautiful hope to advance in champions League. It is, also, a year before the inauguration in Montpellier to a new multi-purpose room of 9,000 places in which the club will play its most important games. "Today, we have an average attendance of 2.800 spectators in our room of 3.000 seats." "With such a star, we could expect to regularly fill the new arena", analysis Robert Molines. Left to find the EUR 1.5 million required by Kiel to release its star. The club (5.2 million annual budget) invests 700,000 euros and convinced the city, metropolitan and the region to make the remaining EUR 800,000. The player will receive, in addition, granting a record salary of 25,000 euros net per month.

The profitability of this investment is not only based on the filling of the new room. The club today delivers 53 of its income from subsidies from the community. Despite the support of Asics, Perrier, or stores Orchestra, sponsoring reports that 1.5 million euros. "We would like to have a main sponsor, a national trade mark may, to the tune of 200,000 to 350,000 euros per year," explained the President. "Last season, we have been published 35 times: Orange and Eurosport for the Championship, and Sport for the champions League." "And, above all, this new sponsor may use the image of Karabatic," continues Robert Molines, indicating work with the Agency Sportys.